Rahul Kumar Singh, a state health department official, has asked each of his eight tenants to give an undertaking that if they are caught in the flat consuming liquor, the landlord will not be responsible. He said he will be providing his tenants a stamp paper with the content typed on it, and the tenants have to sign it.

"What to do?" Singh (52) asked. I have eight flats that have been rented out. Though most of the people living in my flats are bank employees and have their families with them, I can't take chances with the new excise rules. I don't want to go to jail for no fault of mine. I do not even want to comment anything on the rules laid down."

Singh is not the only one. The stringent new excise bill, which is in the process of becoming a law, has scared the daylights out of landlords and those running private hostels and lodges. A clause in the bill says that if someone living in a premise or having control over the premise is found to violating prohibition or to have "purposely given permission" for violation, they will be held responsible and face prison terms on a par with the actual violators. The new excise bill stipulates a minimum jail term of 10 years and maximum of life imprisonment for consumption of alcohol.

Muzaffarpur resident Ravishankar Kumar, who works with an insurance company, had finalised a tenant for his flat in Kumhrar. "However, with the new prohibition law coming in, I have had a discussion with my family and the renting out plan has been dropped," he said. "It is better that I keep my flat vacant; I do not want to face unnecessary troubles."

Many owners of the private hostels, especially those for boys, said they are furiously trying to figure out how to ensure their own safety.

Shyam Kumar, owner of Arka Boys' Hotel in the Buddha Colony area, said: "I started this hostel just this year and we do keep a proper check on the boys, all students. There is a caretaker who is always present and they regularly check the rooms of the boys. But now I need to rethink my strategy. I have taken signed undertakings from the boys that they will not smoke or drink inside the premises. However, I really need to know if that is enough for the police to spare me if, say, by chance, someone happens to sneak into any of the rooms with a bottle. How can I be absolutely sure that a bottle of liquor is not in the room? It is practically impossible. I am utterly confused."

There are more than 10,000 small and big private hostels in Patna alone, said sources in the Patna police.

"The police will act upon the new bill only after it becomes an Act," Patna senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaaj said. "Right now, the police are working and acting as per provisions of the old Act and arrests are taking place."

Another officer said: "We are sure the new law will give rise to many issues. The police will first get things clear from the excise department and will have to implement certain measures to ensure that hostels owners, landlords, etc do not become unnecessary victims."

Radhe Kumar Singh, who owns a private lodge with 32 rooms on Ashok Rajpath, was furious.

"The bill will become an Act soon. And it says that if someone owning a property purposely allows the violation, he too will be punished," he pointed out. "So, if someone is found drinking at one of the rooms, the police will catch me and put me behind bars. I have to prove that I didn't allow it 'purposely'. Bihar is under prohibition and yet so much liquor is being found every day; why is no action is being taken against the CM then? Also, everyone knows the police's ways of investigations. There are cases in which investigations and supervision take months. I will be tightening the security at the main gate but how can I guarantee that someone is not drinking in a room of my lodge?"